We are about to enter the holiday season—a time of the year when our calendars are full, our stress levels are high, and there are lots of sweet, sugary foods everywhere.

Many people have the attitude, “I’m going to enjoy the holidays, and I’ll start taking care of my health January 1.”

But what if you started now? It’s fall. The weather’s great. Walking outside is enjoyable because of the temperatures. And apples are best this time of year. If you start now, you will be way ahead of yourself in January.

If you can be very intentional over the next few weeks about starting a couple of good habits, you can go into the holidays confident about your health.

Since 2013, we’ve helped our clients lose more than 41,700 pounds. We’ve done that through a very simple approach of starting new habits. The habits we help our clients adopt are simple, but they are life-changing. Habits like drinking plenty of water, eating a couple servings of fruit each day, and loading up on vegetables can completely change your health and your attitude. These simple habits are especially important when you understand that about 60% of what we eat is ultra-processed food.

Just knowing you are doing the right things before the holidays get here will put you in a great mindset.

We focus on helping our clients adopt habits because humans are creatures of habit. Research shows that as much as 45 percent of people’s behaviors happen repeatedly each day, and often in the same location and around the same time. Your morning shower, your drive to work, and even your coffee ritual are all habits you do every day with hardly any thought.

The great news about habits is you perform them automatically without thought. That means habits keep you going, even when motivation fails. Habit formation is the reason you can drive 30 minutes to work and not even remember the ride. Your conscious brain doesn’t have to think very hard about the drive. This allows you to spend more time thinking about your 8:30 meeting.

If you start working on a few good habits now, by the time Christmas rolls around, you can be well on your way to changing your health. And you will feel better about the hustle and bustle of the holidays.

In a 2009 European Journal of Social Psychology study, researchers assigned 96 participants the task of forming a single healthy habit—anything from drinking a bottle of water with lunch to running for 15 minutes before dinner. They found it took anywhere from 18 to 254 days for new habits to fully form. The length of time depended on how big or lifestyle-changing the habit was. However, the researchers concluded that, on average, it takes 66 days to form a new healthy habit.

Every time we perform a new behavior, a new neurological pathway begins to form in the brain. Think of this as road building. Slowly, a dirt hiking trail is formed. As we continue to perform the new behavior, the trail gets paved. If we stay at it long enough, our brain forms a four-lane highway. Some highways are easier to build if the terrain is smooth and clear, but if the terrain is rough and the area is full of trees, it will take a lot longer to build the highway.

Researchers also found that you don’t have to perform a behavior every single day for it to become a habit. A missed day here or there doesn’t sabotage your efforts. If you have a bad meal one day or just don’t have time to go for a walk, it’s okay. Get back to eating healthy at your next meal and get out for that walk first thing the next morning. Don’t put yourself on a guilt trip; just get back in the game.

Our Simple 9^© nutritional program is based on forming the right habits—proven by over 20 years of experience—to help our clients lose weight and keep it off long-term. Our program is “Simple,” but not easy. Starting new habits is hard work; that’s why our coaches will help you each step of the way. If you need to make some changes before the holidays begin, or you just want to feel better, we are here for you. Just ask one of our personal fitness coaches what you need to do to get started on some new habits.

Stay Strong,

Bo Railey